can't spell "new year" without NY

As usual, my travel plans were grand, ambitious, and foolproof. And, as often happens to be the case, they exploded in my face in all kinds of ways.

Roman graciously gave me a ride all the way into Brooklyn - we took a little longer than expected, but otherwise made it OK. As the next step, I was supposed to call my brother's girlfriend's brother, and retrieve the keys for Eugene's apartment.

Ed (Heather's brother) didn't pick up at first, but that just gave me a chance to wander around Brooklyn looking for the subway. I did manage to find it, but only by asking a passerby for help while standing directly across the street from the entrance (they should really mark those better!)

Then, a phone skirmish ensued, with me trying to talk to Eugene, Susan, Ed, Chris, and Matt all at the same time. Note to self: must learn how to switch between different calls on my phone without hanging up on everybody.

The best part was that the N train wasn't running in the Manhattan direction, so I had to take it all the way to Coney Island(!), and then all the way back. Ed was a good sport about it, but I was about two hours late.

I ultimately did manage to find my way to Chris and Anne's, where we watched the Patriots make history... 16-0, yessss!!!